Souls, Chips, and Moral Agency: Deconstructing Essentialism in Buffyverse Ethics

Abstract

This paper examines the complex and often contradictory treatment of moral agency in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, arguing that rather than evolving from essentialist to constructivist ethics, the series maintains productive tensions between competing moral frameworks. Through detailed analysis of character arcs—particularly Spike's chip-induced moral development, Anya's gradual integration into human moral frameworks, and Faith's tragic moral collapse—this study demonstrates how the show uses supernatural metaphors to explore fundamental questions about the sources of moral capacity. The series' inconsistent treatment of souls as both material objects and aspects of consciousness reflects deeper philosophical uncertainties about moral agency, ultimately suggesting that moral capacity emerges through complex interactions between external constraints, personal choice, and community integration rather than essential metaphysical properties alone. Rather than resolving these tensions, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sophisticated moral universe deliberately maintains them as ongoing sources of dramatic and philosophical complexity.